Mercer County Executive Hughes rips Trenton councilwoman

TRENTON — Apparently, Mercer County officials don’t like being told they do nothing.

Executive Brian Hughes struck back Friday to comments made the previous night by Trenton Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson that Mercer County has done zilch for the city during the past four years.

“Mercer County is offended and troubled by public comments made by Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson,” Hughes said. “Marge Caldwell-Wilson’s estimation that the county has done nothing to assist the city in the past several years is patently false and shows her complete ignorance of municipal governance.”

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The tiff started at Thursday’s council meeting when Caldwell-Wilson motioned to table a vote to sell the county a parcel of land in the Roebling complex for $1.

The councilwoman questioned the purchase price for the lot that sits near the corner of South Broad Street and Hamilton Avenue in what is called Conovers Alley.

The Mercer County Improvement Authority, which is the redevelopment entity at the Roebling complex, already controls several lots near Conovers Alley with the intention of selling the land to the New Jersey Association of Realtors (NJAR). The realtor organization is constructing a new corporate headquarters at the site, which is across the street from the Sun National Bank Center.

“I’m just not comfortable with letting this (pass) just because it’s the county, we’re going to give it to them for $1,” Caldwell-Wilson said at the meeting. “The county has done nothing for this city in the past four years, so I need an explanation as to why we should support them so they can build a building for the New Jersey Association of Realtors.”

Hughes contends that assertion is false, in addition to sentiments shared by Councilman Zachary Chester.

“In fact, under my leadership Mercer County has in numerous and measurable ways assisted the city of Trenton as Ms. Caldwell-Wilson and Mr. Chester sat idly by while the city fell into ruin under their leadership,” he said. “Even before Mayor Tony Mack took the oath of office, Mercer County offered any and all resources to ensure a smooth transition to new leadership, and despite the lack of acceptance by the new administration to avail themselves of that offer, the county has time and again stepped in to fill the void caused by the inadequate leadership of the Trenton mayor, Marge Caldwell-Wilson and Zachary Chester.”

Hughes stated Caldwell-Wilson’s comments also show a clear lack a clear lack of understanding of the proposed sale to Mercer County of a driveway entrance on South Broad Street. He claimed the purchase “was fully vetted with the city administration, and a lack of awareness of the history of the adjacent property, which was acquired by Mercer County, and by request of the former city administration razed the abandoned buildings, remediated the property, insured it and currently maintain it.”

“If Marge Caldwell-Wilson wants to put the brakes on a major development project in the city of Trenton that would bring economic development to a neighborhood adjacent to her own, it is another clear indicator of her lack of ability to lead and make sound decisions on the behalf of the citizens she has vowed to serve,” Hughes added.

No county officials were present for Thursday’s council meeting — one reason the councilwoman pulled the item — but Hughes said he attended a public event this week that both Caldwell-Wilson and Chester were present.

“Neither elected official uttered one word of concern about the lack of county support for the capital city,” he said. “Therein, it is deeply disappointing to read the inaccurate and disrespectful comments in the paper today and to hear such disparaging remarks about me behind my back and without cause.”

NJAR plans to begin construction in December 2014 with a completion date of early 2016.

The organization states it will be a tax-paying entity in the city.

About the Author

Originally from Webster, N.Y., David has been a reporter in N.J. for the past three years (first in Phillipsburg and now in Trenton).He is a Temple alum who interned at the Philadelphia Daily News. Reach the author at dfoster@trentonian.com
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